Monster Dog | Blu-ray Review

For some, it may come as a surprise to learn Italian schlockmaster Claudio Fragasso had been making films, in varying degrees of English, years prior to his unintentional cult item Troll 2 in 1990. One of his earlier titles getting lugged out of the cinema hinterland is the 1984 oddity, Monster Dog, directed under the wholesome sounding pseudonym, Clyde Anderson. Unfortunately, unless it’s accompanied by some necessary MST3K style heckling, the film is rather a chore to get through, despite the delirious reputation of Fragasso’s ineptitude in English. But here, he doggedly sticks to a stunted idea not allowed to evolve beyond its ludicrous logline.

Descriptions of the film should spark immediate interest since it stars notorious shock rocker Alice Cooper as an aging pop icon named Vincent Raven struggling to reclaim his dwindling notoriety as a provocative musical artist. Concerned studio heads have sent him, along with a music video crew, to his rural hometown so he can reclaim his roots and shoot something a bit more inspired than his latest disappointment. But when his crew arrives, they are confronted by a pack of rabid, murderous dogs, who terrorize them until something even more malevolent appears—a snarling, mutated dog-beast the locals claim comes straight from hell.

It’s difficult to ascertain the level of ineptitude concerning performance thanks to the overt dubbing, particularly noticeable for those familiar with Cooper. The rock legend, however, appears to be as bored as we are watching him wander through this slightly supernatural home invasion scenario. The women take up the slack of energy with some frenzied gesticulations,, pronounced feminine noises of vulnerability often enhanced in the dubbed soundtrack, with co-star Victoria Vera providing something more along the lines of a ‘performance,’ though it often marks her as an easy target for ridicule. Cooper provides two tracks for the film (“Identity Crisis, “See Me in the Mirror”), but both of them sound like parodies of his work considering how they’re showcased here.

Disc Review:

Scorpion Releasing presents this camp hopeful title in 1.85:1, and those enthused by early 80s aesthetic will be pleased to see titular dog’s design isn’t as bad as one might assume, designed by special make-up effects supervisor Carlo De Marchis (who is credited as working on Ridley Scott’s Alien before designing a number of B-grade creature features, like Slugs: The Movie in 1988). And there is a bonus feature featuring cast and crew.

Lord of the Dogs:
This forty-three minute feature focuses on Fragasso, screenwriter Rossella Drudi, and several others as they share experiences from the film. The ‘development’ of the story, along with casting and shooting locations, are all detailed.

Deleted Scenes:
In case you didn’t get enough of the winsome characters in Monster Dog, nearly fourteen minutes of unmastered deleted sequences are included.

Final Thoughts:

Hovering a few notches below the narrative integrity of something like John Lafia’s 1993 horror film Man’s Best Friend, Claudio Fragasso’s Monster Dog will most likely fail to tickle the fancies of those seeking laughs from the unintentional comedy promised by its director’s reputation.

Film Review: ★/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆